Military vehicle tire rims are painted to extend the life of the rims in the harsh environments in which the rims are typically subjected or to impart special properties as specified by the military, such as infrared camouflage or chemical agent resistance. In order to properly paint the rims, the military has developed specifications that specify what portions of the rims are to be painted, and what portions are not to be painted. A contact area between tire rim and the tire bead which is to be mounted onto the tire rim is known as a bead contact area. The military specifications require that the paint applied to the tire rim not intrude on the bead contact area. This requirement assures sealing of pressurized air within the tire when the tire is mounted on the tire rim. Further, it is desired not to paint the portion of the tire rim that is to be obscured by the tire, because such painting wastes paint.
Conventional painting or powder coating tire rims requires masking surfaces over which it is desired not to paint. The step of applying masking material to the tire rim is time consuming, inaccurate, and costly. Further, the masking material must be disposed of after only a single use. Alternatively, reusable masking material is expensive, easily misapplied, and inflexible from one wheel design to the next. There exists a need to accurately, quickly, and inexpensively mask a tire rim for painting without generating disposable material.